Since March we’ve been in some uncharted waters together and we were bound to run up on some rocks at some point. Apparently, we’ve reached the shallow water.
This week when I went to upload the sermon video from worship I found that it hadn’t recorded any audio, essentially leaving us with a silent movie of me waving my arms around for fifteen minutes. No one needs to see that. Last week, a similar problem presented itself and I re-recorded a sermon later.
All of this takes a lot of time and resources. I have been using my mobile phone to produce and upload sermons each week for the past six months which was always intended as a short term solution, but it seems we need to think further into the future.
The uncertainty of this pandemic has invited us to worship together in new ways. Video sermons have been a big part of that and, if the number of views tells me anything, it’s that when we combine in-person worshipers with online worshipers – more people than ever are worshiping with us each week than anytime in the last ten years!
That’s good news!
It also presents a challenge because it means that in order to sustain this ministry we need to invest into the technology to make it really work (instead of relying on my phone each week). In order for us to record, produce and upload a good quality video each week, we need to upgrade our current A/V equipment.
This upgrade will come at a cost of about $1700 but it will allow us to effectively capture and upload the worship service each week with the possible future goal of streaming the service online live.
We have been blessed to maintain our current ministries and to navigate these strange times as a church on strong financial footing, but an expense like this above and beyond ministry as usual. If this sounds important to you, and you feel led to help support our pivot to engaging in this new ministry, any contribution helps (please note “video” on subject line if mailing checks).
Thanks for your prayers, support, and patience as we navigate these new waters together.
Grace and peace,
Jim